Half Brothers
by Mistress K. Darq-Chylde
Summary: (Sequel to Stranded!) Meet Kyou, the son of Eighteen and Vegeta... Trunks' half-brother. Will the two brothers clash, or will they get over their differences and accept each other as family? V/18, T/?, Kyou/?, B/Y &more!
1. Kyou the Punk

Half-brothers

Chapter 1: Kyou the Punk

Notes: This is the sequel to my other fic "Stranded." I hope I can get as good a reaction, if not a better one, for this fic as for the first. In this fic, we meet up with the son of Eighteen and Vegeta... Trunks' half-brother. Will the two brothers clash, or will they get over their differences and accept each other as family? Guess you'll find out, won't ya? (This takes place fifteen years after the first fic. Trunks is around 22, and the half-brother's 15.)

  
  


"Get your ass in here... NOW!"Vegeta shouted out the door.

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming, Dad!" the boy in question replied a bit peevishly.

He appeared in the doorway, his height towering over that of his mother and father(who were both relatively short to begin with.) His looks weren't as strange as one would expect, seeing as how he was the son of an android and a saiyan. Like his father, his hair was black and spiky, but his wasn't nearly as outrageous as his father's. Also, the boy had been lucky enough to avoid the widow's peak Vegeta had. Unlike his father, however, his eyes were an ice blue color- just like his mother Eighteen's. If he didn't have the physicality of a saiyan, many would have mistaken him for the lovechild of Seventeen and some unknown woman. 

"Vegeta, what in Kami's name are you screaming at the boy about now?" Eighteen called from the kitchen where she was rapidly putting together lunch for her son and husband. Feeding a full blooded saiyan and a demi-saiyan was a royal pain in the ass, but she'd become quite an adept cook in the last fifteen years.

"Never you mind, Eighteen. I think I can deal with him without your help." he called back.

"Fine, whatever." she said in a voice just loud enough for him to hear her, continuing to prepare the midday meal. 

"Now, Dad... what did you want?" the boy asked, his thick arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against one side of the door. His voice had the deep timbre of his father's, and at the same time, the change in tones-from uncaring to extremely emotional- of his mother's.

Vegeta shook his head in slight disgust at his son. The piercings he had almost made him sick. Seven silver hoops ran up the boy's left ear, six in the right. Not to mention that every time he spoke, Vegeta wanted to tear the barbell from his son's tongue. The fact that he'd become a punk was his mother's doing... "Your mother almost has lunch ready, get in there and help her out..." he half-growled. 

The boy shrugged it off, pushing away from the side of the door and brushing past his father as if he wasn't there. "Sure thing, Dad." He went without protest, the backward glance from his icy blue eyes always seemed to send an odd chill through his father. 

"Need any help, Mom?" he asked, going to the sink to wash his hands.

Eighteen gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Kyou. Can you chop up those vegetables for me?"

"Yeah, I can." He picked up the knife and did as he was asked. He dumped the chopped pieces into the pot of stew, stirring it gently. His mother'd taught him how to cook, a skill Vegeta refused to learn. He always claimed that such a thing was "woman's work."

Kyou was a rather well-rounded individual. His mother had taught him things like how to cook, clean, fight, and most importantly-in her opinion- the fine art of seduction. If he wanted to, Kyou could have had a harem at the age of thirteen. Now he was fifteen and the option was still open. Although his mother had shown him the easiest ways of attracting another, she'd also taught him that power should be flaunted, not overused.

Both Vegeta and Eighteen had been teaching Kyou how to fight. The two of them were sure that there would be no match for their son on the planet, not even Vegeta's other son, Trunks. They didn't talk about him much, if at all, so Kyou and Trunks had no idea that they were half-brothers. It was a well guarded secret between Vegeta and Eighteen, and they had no intentions of telling their son any time soon.

"Hey, Vegeta! Lunch is ready!" Eighteen called to him a few minutes later.

The Prince of All Saiyans came into the kitchen and asked Eighteen quietly if she needed his help with anything. Subsequently, he ended up bringing everything to the table since his wife and son had cooked and prepared it all. 

The three of them ate in near silence, Eighteen occasionally asking trivial questions about how Kyou was faring at school. "Fine," he answered. "Hard to keep the girls away sometimes, but other than that I'm doing well."

"Of course it's hard to fend them off, you are my son, after all." Vegeta said with a smug little smile.

Eighteen laughed, just shaking her blonde head and continuing to eat what little she always did. Kyou and his mother shared a knowing smile. Eighteen was closer to him than Vegeta would ever be, something that seemed to irk the saiyan to no end. 

Kyou was the very picture of poise as he ate with all of his chiseled perfection. He certainly had better table manners than most saiyans, another thing Eighteen had insisted upon. It was hard to tell who was in control of the relationship between Eighteen and Vegeta. It seemed like they both had equal power and say, and that was the way they both liked it. 

Kyou glanced at the clock on the wall, his blue eyes widening when he saw what time it was. "Damn! I'm gonna be late!" he said hurriedly. He picked up his now empty dishes and dumped them in the sink. "Sorry, Mom! I'll help out later, okay?"

She nodded, knowing that her son had to keep his daily routine, or he'd be thrown completely off balance. "Thanks!" he said, dashing out the door and taking to the sky.

Vegeta looked at Eighteen questioningly. "You know how anal he is about his daily schedule, Vegeta. If he misses the normal things he always does, the boy thinks his day's been a waste."

"He must have gotten that from you, not me. I'd rather see the boy be spontaneous than do the same damned things over and over."

The android made a small disbelieving noise. "You'd be surprised, Vegeta. You have no clue what's going on with his life half the time, anyway."

Vegeta had no retort for that and got up from the table, going to wash the dishes from lunch. The Prince silently vowed to himself to become a better father. Kyou needed it. He was determined not to let his son be detached from him, like Trunks was...

  
  


A/N-Any good? Don't worry, I'll probably stick a few sex scenes in here and there, so the rating will more than likely go up. Enjoy the sequel!


	2. The Daily Swim

Half-brothers

Chapter 2: The Daily Swim

Notes: Um... a nude Kyou in this chapter. Sorry to anyone who didn't want to see that. *grins* I may be introducing a few plot twists and original characters soon, so be prepared, okay?

  
  
  
  


Kyou sighed with slight relief as he reached the beach. He landed on the ground and looked around for a moment to make sure no one else was there. He stripped off his black gi, the pants joining his overshirt on the water-smoothed rocks. He tossed his black wife beater on top of it all and stretched for a moment before running into the water, diving beneath the surface of the blue waves. 

His sleek and powerful muscles pulled him along under the water for a moment before he resurfaced with a slight gasp and a little laugh. If there was one thing Kyou loved, it was swimming. He had to take an hour long swim every day, or things seemed very wrong to him for the rest of the day. There was something comforting in the solitude of the waves that caressed him lovingly as he swam, something familiar in their strength and beauty. 

He took a breath and dove down deep, staying near the bottom for a moment before floating back to the top. His head broke the surface and he stopped breathing as he listened. He could have sworn he just heard something. It almost sounded like... There it was again! Giggling? The sound stopped, so he ignored it, thinking it was his imagination. 

He swam for another forty-five minutes, his body knowing that the time was almost up. Soon he made his way back to shore, emerging from the water like some Greek God in a painting. His dark hair was swept back from his forehead, his blue eyes sparkling, his rippling muscles covered in a sheen of water, his pale skin gleaming, his earring all a-glitter.... 

He ran his fingers through his hair as he went back over to the rock where he'd left his clothes. "What the hell?!" he asked, his eyes blinking in confusion. He knew this was where he'd left them, so why in the hell weren't they here anymore?

He heard that sound again. It had to be someone giggling. Someone feminine from the sound of it... He very calmly sat down on the rock where his clothing was supposed to be, crossing his arms over his chest. He was a picture of patience as he sat there. "You can give me back my clothes any time now, ladies..." he said, his voice a bit huskier sounding than he had intended. He wanted them to give his clothes back, not melt into puddles...

There was the sound of whispering and two girls came from behind the pile of rocks near to him. Kyou arched a dark brow at the two of them, wondering why he'd never noticed them here before. "You two come here often?" he asked with a bit of a smirk, taking them in appreciatively.

They gave him the same look, twin smiles on their faces. "We've been watching you for a few weeks," one of them admitted. Kyou turned his unsettling icy gaze on her, his head tilted slightly as he looked at her. She seemed familiar...

With a mortified yelp, he leapt behind the rocks, quickly concealing his nakedness. "Kioma! What in Kami's name are you doing here?!"

The girl in question giggled again, brushing back a few of her azure curls. "Watching you, silly."

"But why?!" he asked, his face turning several interesting shades of red.

"You'd think that someone who wanted their clothes back would be a bit nicer, don't you think, Tera?" Kioma said to her friend.

Tera shrugged, unconsciously fixing a strap of her black string bikini. "One would think so, but the fact that he knows us from school might be controlling his thinking right now." She ran her fingers through her deep burgundy locks, tossing some of her waist-length hair over her shoulder. Her amethyst eyes watched Kyou closely, a smirk taking over her features as the blush in his cheeks deepened.

"You two are evil..." he muttered.

Kioma laughed, shaking her head. Her form was the exact opposite of her friend's. Where Tera was slender and tall, Kioma was shorter and much more curvaceous. Her iridescent blue bikini looked as if it would burst at any given moment, a fact which didn't escape Kyou's notice. 

"Would you two give me back my clothes, please?" he asked, the burning sensation in his face starting to fade.

Tera, showing a shred of mercy, tossed him his pants. He hurriedly pulled them on, sighing with relief and reemerging from his hiding place. "Why in the hell were you two watching me swim?"

Kioma and Tera exchanged a look. "Put two and two together to get twenty-two, Kyou. Are we not allowed to enjoy the view of a perfectly sculpted body on occasion?" Kioma's blue eyes blinked almost innocently.

Kyou rolled his eyes. "Not when it's mine!" he replied almost angrily.

Tera gave him a pouty look. "You're no fun, Kyou..." she said with disappointment.

"More fun than you two'll ever know..." he said, instantly regretting it.

"Oh?" they said in unison, their interest piqued.

"Never mind. What did you do with my shirts, you two?"

Kioma sighed. "I guess you're not in the mood to play today, hmm?" She walked away and came back a few minutes later with his shirts, handing them to him reluctantly.

Tera gave Kyou a wink and Kioma blew him a kiss as the two began walking away. "Remember Kyou... we'll be watching!" they both said with a laugh, taking off at a run and leaving the beach behind quickly.

"That was weird..." he muttered. He put his shirts on and headed back to his house, helping out with more chores to keep his mind off the afternoon's events. He couldn't help wondering why Kioma and Tera had been watching him...


	3. Just Another Average Dinner

Half-Brothers

Chapter 3: Just Another Average Dinner

Notes: Um... we almost hear one of those 'the night you were conceived' stories. Be prepared for a shocker...

  
  
  
  


"So, how was your swim, Kyou?" Eighteen asked as her son helped prepare dinner.

He shrugged. "Just like it is every day. I need it to relax and get away from home for a while."

Eighteen gave him a small smile. "If your father had it his way, every spare moment of your time would be spent training. He wouldn't give you time to go swimming, no time to spend with your friends..." she shook her head. "I think he's subconsciously trying to isolate you, so your childhood will be like his was, completely alone after..."

Kyou nodded as his mother trailed off. "I know what you mean." The two continued to slice up vegetables and meat, checking the temperatures of some things, occasionally tasting a spoonful of stew and adding a little pinch of salt to it. Kyou didn't mention meeting up with Kioma and Tera earlier in the day. He clicked his barbell nervously against his teeth, an action which didn't escape his mother's notice.

"Kyou, is something wrong?" Eighteen asked.

He jumped as his mother brought him from his thoughts. "What? Oh. No, nothing's wrong, Mom. Why do you ask?" he turned around and made a point of checking the condition of the contents of one of the cooking pots.

"You're clicking your tongue ring, Kyou. You only do that when something bothering you or you're nervous about something." She could read him like a book. She put her hand on his shoulder, concern clear in her eyes as she asked softly, "You sure you're okay?"

Kyou put on a smile. "Yeah, Mom. I'm fine. I just ran into some girls from school during my swim."

Eighteen smirked and moved around the kitchen, testing things as she went. "They saw you swimming naked, then?"

Kyou's face turned about five different shades of red. "MOM!"

Eighteen laughed. "I've always told you that you should swim with something on, but no, don't listen to me." She snickered. "I'm just a stupid old woman who doesn't know anything."

Kyou sobered, the color in his face slowly returning to normal. "You're not old and stupid, mom. If only you could hear what some of the guys say about you..."

Eighteen smiled. "Oh? What do they say about me, hmm?" She acted innocent, but she knew exactly what they said.

Kyou's face colored only slightly, this time. "Nevermind, Mom. You know what they say..."

"Don't act so embarrassed." She clapped her hand down on his shoulder. "Be glad your mom's cool. You could have one of those parents who's a stuck up moron who thinks that their child's perfect. I don't have to think my child's perfect because I know you're not. You're as damned near close as a person can get, physically." She gave him a little wink and a nudge in the side with her elbow. "That's what happens when you mix good genes."

Kyou rolled his eyes. "Mom... I do NOT want to think about you and dad like that. EVER..." he shuddered. "At least you've spared me from the whole 'the time you were conceived' story. I think I'd have to crawl under a rock and gouge my mind's eye out..."

Eighteen laughed again. "You've definitely got the right idea. I'm sure I would have been the same way... A story like that'd give you nightmares for weeks." She grinned evilly. "In that case... Kyou, the night you were conceived..."

"AH! STOP!" Kyou plugged his ears and said loudly, "La la la! I can't HEAR you!"

Eighteen smirked and pinched her son's cheek. "You're so cute sometimes. You know I wouldn't do that to your poor, innocent little mind."

Vegeta came in through the back door. He walked into the kitchen and pulled Eighteen into his arms and dipping her nearly to the floor. "Vegeta!" she said, laughing. "I'm trying to make dinner, here."

Kyou ran from the room, screaming in mock terror. "No public displays of affection when there's a child in the room, you two!"

"Well, he's not in the room anymore..." Vegeta said with a little wink.

Eighteen smirked and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing her husband deeply. After a moment, he lifted her back to her feet and gave her a soft parting brush of his lips against hers. "Now... you'll finish making dinner while I go clean up?" he asked softly, something he never did when the boy was around.

She nodded. "Sure, babe." As he turned to go, she slapped his ass hard enough to make him jump. She smirked and went back to final preparations. 

Kyou peeked around the corner, asking cautiously, "Are you two finished with that mushy stuff yet?"

Eighteen nodded again, sweeping her medium length blonde hair over her shoulder. Approximately ten minutes later, dinner was finished. Eighteen and Kyou went about setting everything on the large dining room table as Vegeta emerged from his shower, clean and seeming rather pleased with himself.

"What are you looking so happy about, Dad?" Kyou asked, noticing the way Vegeta sauntered to the table before he sat down.

"Today was just a good day. I wish they'd happen more often." He replied, waiting for everyone to sit down before beginning to eat.

"'f you say so." Kyou said with a shrug.

"Oh, I forgot the spoons." Eighteen said, starting to get up from her seat.

Vegeta put his hand on top of hers. "Sit, woman. I'll get them." He gave her a small smile and disappeared into the kitchen.

Kyou and Eighteen looked at each other in shock. "What in the hell do you suppose that was all about?"

"I don't know, but I wish your father'd act like that more often." Eighteen said, still in slight shock. He never got up from the table unless he was done eating. Much less got up from the table to be helpful...

The phone in the kitchen rang and Eighteen started to get up again. "I've got it, Eighteen!" he said loudly from the kitchen. She shrugged and took a cautious bite of her steak. It was still very warm, but not quite hot anymore.

"Hello?" Vegeta said into the receiver.

"Hi, um... is Vegeta there?" a male voice asked from the other end of the line.

"This is he..." he said cautiously.

"Wonderful. Glad I found the right number."

"Who is this?" he asked, curious as to who could be looking for him.

There was a small laugh from the other end of the line. "Well, Dad. This is your first son, Trunks."


	4. Memories and True Love

Half-Brothers

Chapter 4: Memories and True Love

Notes: Um... Iunno. Flashback to Eighteen's childhood and why the androids became as cold as they were. 

Vegeta hung up the phone ten minutes later, all color gone from his face. He walked back in and sat down at his place at the table, resuming eating automatically, as if he were a machine. Eighteen and Kyou looked at each other, and then to the full blooded saiyan who was busily shoveling food into his mouth as though he were trying to forget something. 

"Vegeta..." Eighteen said softly, causing her husband to look up at her. "Who was on the phone?"

He gave her a look that said he'd tell her later. Kyou caught the look and shrugged, knowing it was probably none of his business anyway. They all finished eating in silence, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. Kyou wordlessly cleared the table and did the dishes, leaving them all to dry in the strainer. 

Eighteen and Vegeta shared a look, one that said they were both worried about the boy. He seemed miffed at being left out of the loop, but Vegeta couldn't tell him... not yet. He motioned for Eighteen to follow him and he led her up to their room, closing the door and locking it. 

The blonde android looked at him oddly, sitting on the edge of the bed and gazing up at him with inquisitive sapphire eyes. "So." she began curtly. "Who was on the phone?"

Vegeta walked over to the window and gazed out of it, silent for a moment as thoughts raced about in his brain. "It was Trunks..." he said softly, his gravelly voice quiet and almost mouse-like.

Eighteen's heart skipped a beat. "How did he find you?" she asked. "How... What in the hell would he want to do with you now? The brat's bound to be a grown man by now... Why would he want to dig up something from his past like that?"

The Saiyan Prince simply shook his head. "I don't know. But... a lot's been going on in his life lately, from what he told me. It's like he was just checking up on me to see how I was doing. More than I can say I've done for the boy..."

Eighteen stood and walked to his side, placing her hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing you could have done for him, Vegeta..."

He angrily brushed her hand away, his voice rising with his anger. "Yes there is! I should have been a _man_ and stayed with my mate and taken care of the brat!" His fists clenched and unclenched almost convulsively, the tendons in his arms standing out against his skin.

Eighteen nearly cringed away from the raw emotion surging through the normally stoical saiyan before her. "Vegeta, listen to me." He turned to her, an expectant look in his eyes. "You can't beat yourself up over this. You're not going to go back in time and change the past. And besides, would you really want him to grow up in a home where he knew his father didn't love his mother? Children need to have a positive home life, with parents who care for each other, so that they can understand how important love is."

The proud saiyan snorted, opening his mouth to launch a retort. She held up a hand to silence him and, albeit reluctantly, he obeyed. "Kids who grow up in a loveless home end up leading loveless lives and put their own children through the same thing. It's not right to make a child go through something like that. No one deserves to go through their life without ever having someone care for them. It's like growing up in an abusive home. You're doomed to repeat it, more than likely, if it's the only way you see things when you're younger. Perceptions get warped, their whole view on the world gets distorted..." The blonde bombshell looked away out the window, remembering her own skewed childhood under the tutelage of Gero.

_"What in the hell are you doing?!" the Doctor screamed at her. _

She looked up at him, an innocent sparkle in her blue eyes. "Playing." she replied simply, resuming her activities with Seventeen. The two of them laughed as they launched a red ball back and forth, taking two steps back each time it was caught and passed. 

Gero fumed with anger. How could his creations play_?! They were machines of destruction! It'd take them a few years to grow and reach their full potential, but he'd never expected them to behave like normal children. _

Seventeen looked over at the Doctor with his cold blue eyes, his eight year old frame the same slight build it would become when he grew up. He and Eighteen exchanged a wink and she repressed a giggle, nodding emphatically. A smirk overtook Seventeen's features, a facial expression which would become a trademark of his, and he chucked the ball at the back of Gero's head. 

Seventeen and Eighteen both laughed uproariously as the Doctor became outraged. He picked the ball up and flung it as far away as he could, causing both children to pout. "You're no fun, Doc..." Seventeen said with a sad little sigh.

"Fun? FUN?! You're machines, dammit! You are NOT real children! You're not normal and you never_ will be! You'll always be different, always outsiders who stand beyond the boundary of humanity! So close to being real, and yet so horribly far that you can NEVER hope to join society!" he had screamed at them, veins standing out in his forehead._

Seventeen and Eighteen weren't disturbed by this statement at the time, they were just children who had been living in the mountains away from civilization, anyway. All they needed was each other, really. The shock "therapy" he'd given them for their little insubordination had scared both of them emotionless for several weeks. They knew that if they acted like nothing effected them, he'd leave them alone again...

Eighteen shuddered at the memory, reminiscing over how hard it had been for her to open up and act like something more than a simple piece of machinery programmed for one purpose. "No child deserves to grow up in a loveless home... No one deserves that..." she said quietly, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears as her gaze met his. "At least this way, Kyou knows that you care about him, although you'd like to deny it sometimes. And he knows that we love each other. Would you really have been able to raise Trunks properly if you knew you were in love with me, but your loyalty to Bulma kept you there?"

He said nothing and she went on. "You'd more than likely be angered with the boy, Vegeta... Upset with him because he was part of the reason you were stuck with someone you cared for deeply, but someone you didn't love."

"...I know."

"Then don't be so upset about it, Vegeta. I know that you still care for your son, and it's good to see that he still cares for you, as well. I also understand that you care for Bulma, and you feel as if you betrayed her by leaving her. I'm sure that she's found her true love after all this time, just as you did." Eighteen said softly. Gently cupping his face in her palms and gazing into his eyes, she pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and got up, heading to the door. She unlocked it and looked back over her shoulder at him. "You really shouldn't let things upset you as much as you do. You'll end up giving yourself a heart attack, love."

With that, she left the room, leaving Vegeta to brood over all that had just been brought back into his life. 


	5. All in the Family

Half Brothers

Chapter 5: All in the Family

Notes: New original character and an NC couple.

"Nikki!" Bulma shouted into the backyard. "Trunks!" she yelled upstairs. "Did you see where Nikki went?"

"I think the squirt was playing in the back yard." he half-yelled back down. 

"Damn it..." the blue-haired woman muttered. She went to the back door and was ready to call again when a girl appeared in the doorway, panting from the run to the house. "Took you long enough to get here, Nikki. Where the hell were you?"

"Sorry, mom! I was over at Cherry's, and I forgot about the time. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it...!" Her dark blue eyes were frantic, flicking about as though searching for an avenue of escape.

"Relax, Nikki." Bulma cut her off. "You're not in trouble." She ruffled the girl's thick and straight black hair, the naturally blue streaks showing through. "I just worry about you, ya know? You're my daughter, and the world's a scary place..."

Nikki laughed, her youth apparent in the openness of her laughter. Bulma couldn't help smiling, feeling a bit melancholy. _As we grow older, we curb our laughter, making it a secretive thing rather than a true expression of how happy we are..._

Nikki looked older than the mere fourteen that she was. Many asked if Bulma had been a very young mother. Nikki looked old enough to head into a bar without getting carded. Her hair was black and thick, hanging to the middle of her back. Somehow, she'd inherited her hair color from her mother and father, gaining blue streaks from her mother's side of the gene pool. She was tall, towering over her mother by half a foot, at least. She was busty, especially for a girl of fourteen, and she had long legs that even supermodels would envy. Her face was heartshaped and delicate seeming, although her lean and sculpted muscles belied the delicacy issue.

In Bulma's motherly opinion, the girl got too much attention from the boys. When she'd seen the hungry looks her daughter received, she'd demanded that her husband teach the girl to defend herself. Nikki had been doing extremely well, picking up on martial arts as if they were actually in her blood. She was constantly asking for more, wanting more challenging moves. Trunks had taken over the training a few months ago, seeing that Yamcha's knowledge was becoming quickly exhausted by the girl's eagerness. Trunks was a much more patient teacher, and he couldn't believe how deeply Nikki got into the fighting. There wasn't a drop of saiyan in her blood, but he was sure that she could give almost any normal human a run for their money.

"Mom, you know I don't have to worry about any boys getting the drop on me."

Bulma smiled then. "Yeah, honey, I know. You can head back over to Cherry's if you want, but be careful, alright? I wouldn't trust that boy farther than I could throw him."

Nikki smirked, seeming much more mature suddenly. "Then that means I can trust him a lot. You should see how far I can toss him..." Bulma and her daughter laughed, happy and on the same page for one shining moment. "I'm gonna go back over there, now. Do you want me to call if I stay there for dinner?"

"It would be appreciated."

"Alright, then." she gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and dashed off, waving as she exited the back door. It closed firmly behind her and Bulma just shook her head.

"Kids..." she muttered.

"What kind of parents would name their son Cherry?" Trunks asked, appearing behind her and munching on a sandwich.

"Crazy ones. Or a mother hopped up on morphine..." Bulma replied.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and she leaned back against him with a smile. "Hi, hun."

"Whatcha up to?" Yamcha asked, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Uselessly warning our daughter about the dangers of the world." Bulma answered curtly, still worrying about the girl.

"She's a big girl, Bulma. You can't protect her forever. And besides, the girl can benchpress me. I don't think we have to worry about her, too much." he added, thinking of the day they'd run out of heavy enough weights and Nikki'd made Yamcha sit on the bar with all the weights.

"Geh... Could you two not be so mushy? I'm trying to eat here..." Trunks put in, gesturing to the sandwich he was eating at a nearly human pace. Bulma smirked and waved him away. He shrugged and downed the rest of the sandwich. "I'm gonna head over to Goten's. I'll see ya around dinnertime. Give a ring over there if it's gonna be late, okay?"

"Alright. Bye, Trunks."

"See ya." He left through the back door and took to the air.

Bulma turned to face Yamcha, draping her arms around his neck and leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips. "I think we raised those two pretty well, don't you?" he asked.

She merely nodded, admitting that Yamcha had done a good job with the kids. He'd come into their life when she and Trunks had needed a man in the house. He'd merely been a friend at first, wanting to comfort someone he'd shared something with once. After almost a year, they finally admitted that they were in love again, and things progressed from there. 

When Nikki was born, Trunks was completely accepting. He cared for the girl as if she were completely his sister, not the child of another man. It still made Bulma smile to think of how close the siblings were. But... she couldn't help wondering suddenly about Vegeta's life. Where was he, and how was he doing? Had he started a new family of his own? Surely he'd moved on and had children by the woman he'd left her for. What would those children be like? And who was the woman he'd run off with?

A/N- Don't kill me, everyone! Sorry it took so long to update, but things were crazy for a few months. Plus, I was working more on originals. I should be able to update more often, and I'm also going to try updating my other fanfics here in the next few days. Love you all, and sorry for the delay!!!


	6. What Would Jesus Do for a Klondike Bar?

"Half Brothers" Chapter 6: _What Would Jesus Do for a Klondike Bar?_

8.19.2005-8.20.2005

_Notes: Well... it's been a few years. Hope someone enjoys this, as the loyal readers are likely long gone from the site, by now. Sorry it's been so long, but I hope this can appease you all for a bit! _

Kyou sighed, his head dropping to the lunchroom table in boredom. Study halls were hell...

"Hey, Kyou!" The boy in question practically jumped out of his skin. He turned around to see Kioma standing a few feet behind him and he was hard pressed to keep from drooling at the sight of her.

She gave him a smile bright enough to blind and he smiled in return. The girl was clad in a black tube top that proudly showed off her pierced navel and barely contained her more than ample cleavage. Aside from the top, she was modestly dressed in a pair of white dress slacks that clung to her shapely backside, but not so much so that it seemed indecent. Her nails were painted so that they alternated black and red, a pair of Mary Janes with skulls on the buckles covering her dainty feet. A red sash was tied around her hips, the tails hanging from her right side. Her short and thick azure hair had been cut and straightened recently.

"Whatcha think?" she asked him, obviously referring to her hair. It had been layered and past her shoulders before, and now it had an almost boyish cut to it. Her thick bluish tresses brushed the nape of her neck in the back, gradually getting shorter as it neared the front. Her bangs nearly fell in her eyes, making her seem almost shy.

He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "It looks good on you, Kioma."

She nodded and smiled again, her blue eyes bright. "Thanks, Kyou." She sat next to him, folding one leg under herself. "So, how was your weekend?" she asked.

Kyou shrugged. "Not too bad, I suppose. Coulda been worse. The apocalypse could have happened."

"Aww! What happened this weekend?"

"Must be Jesus wanted a Klondike Bar..." Kyou said, smirking at himself. "Mom and Dad actually got along _all_ weekend, and Dad was helpful. It was... unbelievably weird. Not bad, just... weird."

Kioma looked almost scandalized. "_Your_ father? Helping out? Whoa..."

"Yeah." Kyou nodded. "Crazy, isn't it? I can't help wondering why..."

"Maybe your father was abducted by aliens, or he was possessed by some weird demon." Tera's sudden appearance made both Kioma and Kyou jump.

Kioma snorted lightly. "You're nuts, Tera. What the hell kind of _demon_ would act all nice and such?"

Tera shrugged, her long burgundy tresses slipping over her shoulders. "A Glee Demon, obviously."

Kioma rolled her eyes and waved at Tera dismissively. "You gonna sit down, or what, ya nutter? You're making me nervous."

Her slender companion obliged and seated herself next to Kioma, looking across at Kyou. She rested her chin on a fist and sighed. "I'm craving a cigarette wicked bad," she moaned piteously.

Kioma rolled her eyes again. "I told you that you never should have started, but nobody listens to me. I'm just a moron who has _no_ idea what I'm talking about..."

Tera's amethyst eyes looked pained. "I _know_," she whimpered. "But you don't understand, Kioma..."

The blue-haired girl shook her head. "Yes, Tera, I do understand. I smoked for a year and then quit cold turkey. I know how hard it is, and you're not even trying to quit."

Kyou opened up a textbook and skimmed the chapter over again for his next class. The girls were silent then, going to their own schoolwork for the remainder of the period. The rest of the day went by quickly and Kyou was glad to finally go home, not knowing that all hell was breaking loose at his house.

"Listen, Vegeta... You should just tell the boy what's going on. If you don't, he'll find out sooner or later, and who knows how the story might get twisted if he gets it from some source other than you." Eighteen said calmly, the effort not to scream in frustration at the stubborn Prince obvious in the tightness of her voice.

"Woman... Do not tell me what I should and should not do in regards to my own son."

"Don't you _dare_ start that 'woman' shit with me, Vegeta!" Her voice was raising ever so slightly.

Kyou walked in then, having heard his father's statement to his mother. "What's going on, Mom?" he asked, his icy blue eyes naive and curious.

The android in question just shook her head, tossing her hands into the air. "Your father is being ridiculous and unreasonable. Nothing too _unusual_, Kyou." she practically snarled. He caught the death-glare she was giving Vegeta, cringing at the anger in her posture.

Vegeta didn't seem to notice, or to care. He gave Kyou a long, silent, appraising look. "Eighteen... I'd like a few minutes alone with Kyou..." The woman nodded and promptly exited the room. "Son... there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Trunks hadn't mentioned the phone call he'd made to either Bulma or Yamcha, keeping it to himself. He'd felt both glad and saddened to hear his father's gravelly voice after all these years. To know that the other half of his genetics was out there, enjoying a semi-normal life, made him feel torn. He was angry and relieved. It seemed wrong to him that his father could so easily enjoy the company of another woman, but he was also happy that the Prince had found a place where he could be who he was and be accepted for it.

Trunks, Bulma, and Yamcha sat down for dinner, just getting settled and ready to eat without Nikki as the door burst open and the girl appeared in the aperture. She gave them a lopsided grin and shut the door behind her, coming to sit at her place at the table. They all said grace and began the meal, Trunks' mother exchanging pleasantries and trivial questions with Nikki about her day.

"Oh, you know how it is, Mom..."

Trunks tried not to snicker into salad, knowing what his half-sister had _really_ been up to for the last few hours. Nothing _too_ intense, or he would have beaten that Cherry kid's ass...

When Nikki and Bulma paused in their mother-daughter chat, he cleared his throat. He looked directly into his mother's blue eyes and said softly, "I called Dad today."


End file.
